A Visit to Thomas Keller’s Burgers & Half Bottles

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Lunch is served at Burgers & Half Bottles.
Lunch is served at Burgers & Half Bottles.

Two and a half weeks after opening, Thomas Keller’s Burgers & Half Bottles continues to draw lines of hungry and curious diners to his playful pop-up.

So much so that last Thursday, when my husband and I showed up at the opening time of noon to queue up behind about two dozen people, there were already plenty of diners eating burgers on the front patio. Turns out that the line that morning was already growing so rapidly, that the restaurant decided to open a little early, the manager told me.

Such is the allure when a legendary Michelin three-starred chef decides to build a concept around one of his favorite foods, the In-N-Out burger. When his Mexican restaurant Calenda closed in December 2024, it provided the perfect space for him to realize it, too.

Located in the building that was formerly home to Calenda.
Located in the building that was formerly home to Calenda.
The brew bus with beer taps.
The brew bus with beer taps.

On a torrid morning when it was already close to 90 degrees, a server passed out cups of ice water to those in line. This is a Keller restaurant, after all.

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A Taste of San Francisco’s Oldest Coffee Roastery

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Graffeo Dark Roast prepared French press-style.
Graffeo Dark Roast prepared French press-style.

Graffeo Coffee, which opened in San Francisco’s North Beach in 1935, is not only the city’s oldest coffee roastery, but one of the longest operated ones in all of North America.

Italian immigrant Giovanni Graffeo originally started selling his fresh roasted beans in a small grocery store he opened on Columbus Avenue. Today, beans are still roasted there each day.

It remains a favorite at top restaurants such as Michelin two-starred Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, House of Prime Rib in San Francisco, and the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma.

Unlike many other coffee companies that offer a multitude of different beans, Graffeo sells only four types: Dark Roast, Light Roast, Swiss Water Decaf, and a custom blend of Half Dark/Half Light.

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Michael Symon’s Grilled Pork Steaks with the Surprise of Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

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Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper -- yes! -- cherry barbecue sauce.
Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper — yes! — cherry barbecue sauce.

Have you ever held a succulent rib between your fingers, then bitten into a taste of sweet-savory, marvelously yielding meat, only to wish there was more left on the bone to enjoy?

You get exactly that with Chef Michael Symon’s “Slow-Grilled Pork Butt Steaks with Cherry BBQ Sauce.”

It has the taste and tenderness of your favorite smoked ribs — but in the much more substantial form of pork butt or shoulder steaks that are meaty and beyond.

Best yet, they get glazed and served with a thick, fruity, savory and slightly spicy barbecue sauce made with not only fresh or frozen cherries but also a can of Dr. Pepper. Yes, you read that right.

The recipe is from his newest cookbook, “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

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Quattro at the Four Seasons Gets A Refreshed Look and A New Italian Menu

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Strawberry Bellini -- nope, not a cocktail, but an appetizer -- at Quattro.
Strawberry Bellini — nope, not a cocktail, but an appetizer — at Quattro.

With its soaring ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows, Quattro at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto has always been an elegant establishment, the type with tables spaced far enough apart that you can actually converse easily with dining companions.

After undergoing a recent refresh, its look is even more inviting with all that natural light complemented by an earth-tone decor with plenty of potted palms, caramel leather chairs, and slender brass lights on each marble table. The eye-catching artwork, “Walking on the Street,” that’s been a fixture since the restaurant opened remains there with its four figures that represent each season that appear to pivot as you do.

The bar.
The bar.
The dining room.
The dining room.

Along with a new look comes a new menu from Executive Chef Jacques Swart, who was appointed in January, and has refocused the Italian-Californian food to lean even more into the Italian side.

I had a chance to try the new dishes recently when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

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The Debut of Al’s Real Goods Cookies

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Chef Aaron London's new packaged cookies just hit store shelves. Left to right: Ginger Smack, Choco Choco, and Choco Chip.
Chef Aaron London’s new packaged cookies just hit store shelves. Left to right: Ginger Smack, Choco Choco, and Choco Chip.

Aaron London has been many things over the years: chef, restaurateur, and recipient of a Michelin star and Bon Appetit magazine’s “Best New Restaurant in the Country.”

Now, add to that list: cookie entrepreneur.

The former chef of the ground-breaking, vegetable-forward Ubuntu in Napa, London closed his Michelin-starred Al’s Place in San Francisco in 2022, and spent the next couple of years working on crafting packaged cookies that he would be proud to sell on grocery store shelves.

The result is Al’s Real Goods boxed cookies that are made with brown cane sugar, free-range eggs, Fair Trade chocolate, and butter from grass-fed cows.

The cookies come in three varieties: Choco Chip, Choco Choco, and Ginger Smack.

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